Smith (U. of Nebraska at Lincoln), Greenblatt (Governing magazine), and Mariani (Pew Center on the States) present the second edition of an undergraduate-level introductory textbook on state and local government in the United States. Chapters cover federalism and state constitution; political attitudes and participation; parties and interest groups; legislatures, executives, courts, and the bureaucracy; the structure, authority, and responsibilities of local government; regional relations among local governments; and the policy areas of finance, education, criminal justice, and health and welfare. The new edition is updated to include analysis of recent legislative and gubernatorial elections, state supreme court decisions and constitutional debates, changes in campaign and elections regulations, demographic changes of immigration and aging, and events and issues such as Hurricane Katrina and climate change. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less